Is it safe for everyone to starve?

Today it has become fashionable to practice fasting days, go on diets, resort to fasting for different periods. But fashion is a cruel thing, it does not have an individual approach to everyone, when the features of the human body, its constitution, the presence of diseases and so on are taken into account. It is not surprising that the attempts of many people to pay tribute to fashion and give up food for a few days ended without result, and sometimes pitifully.

The fact is that even with the right approach to fasting, which we will talk about a little later, the first thing to do is to take into account the state of your health. That which does not harm a healthy person can kill a sick or severely weakened person.

But how, then, the idea of treatment of hunger? Such a theory exists, and it has been proven in practice many times already. Hunger can cure many disorders in the body, but not all. As there is no universal medicine, there is no such method of fasting, which would be effective and safe in all cases. If  medical fasting  has certain indications (it is not said anywhere that hunger cures everything), it is quite logical that there are specific  contraindications. It is these diseases and conditions that are a common cause of complications during fasting, early breakdowns, and in some cases death.

At the same time it is important to understand that there are such health disorders in which fasting can be truly fatal. These are the cases when the treatment has not just a negative, but the opposite (undesirable) effect. Such pathologies are called absolute contraindications to therapeutic or any other fasting.

In which cases, doctors strictly prohibit refusing food:

• for any oncological diseases: malignant tumors, blood cancer, etc., despite the information about the multiple miraculous healings (doctors do not believe that this is the result of the curative effects of hunger),
• pulmonary tuberculosis or other organs in active form (it is believed that hunger cannot be defeated by this infection, and it is quite possible to harm the weakened organism),
• hyperfunction of the thyroid gland and the resulting thyrotoxicosis (fears that the excretory system simply cannot cope with so many toxins; by the way, many doctors insist that fasting can be dangerous in other endocrine diseases),
• inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) in the acute and chronic form, liver cirrhosis, liver failure, i.e. Any serious diseases of the body, the consequences of which remain for life,
• acute and chronic kidney failure,
• insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, i.e. More rare type 1 diabetes (in this matter have not yet reached a general opinion, some naturopaths are inclined to believe that this disease can be cured by selecting the appropriate method),
• purulent-destructive processes in the body, regardless of localization, severe decompensated inflammation (grade 3),
• decompensated heart or pulmonary insufficiency (Grade 3, although some doctors do not undertake to lead a starving person even with Grade 2),
• the patient's weight is too small considering his height and age (body mass index less than 19 kg per square meter),
• vascular diseases characterized by the formation of blood clots (thrombophlebitis, phlebothrombosis)

Many doctors also refer to the absolute contraindications of persistent, pronounced disturbances of the heart rhythm and its conduction (arrhythmias, heart block, myocardial infarction). Others believe that these are rather relative contraindications, fasting for which is possible after a certain drug or surgical treatment.

It is extremely dangerous to starve, according to experts, when the diagnosis is not precisely established, and also if the disease has an uncertain etiology, the mechanism of its development is unknown.

It is considered unsafe to starve and the elderly (over 70 years). But it is difficult to concretize. Many naturopaths were starving almost until the last day, despite the fact that they had lived for much more than 70 years. Most likely, the case in the practice and effects of starvation. If the human body is accustomed to regular courses of wellness hunger, then they will not be an excessive burden for him at any age, especially with normal well-being. In addition, at the exit from fasting, we have the rejuvenation of the body cells, so the age in the passport is not an indicator.

Absolute contraindication to any type of starvation is pregnancy, which is quite logical. During this period, a woman, on the contrary, should eat fully so that the small organism inside her can fully develop. If the expectant mother starts to starve, then even her body can not stand, not to mention the fact that the development of the fetus is likely to just stop. In addition, it is not known what the reaction of the woman’s immune system will be, whether she will perceive the child as something alien and will not start an active fight with him, as is the case with rhesus conflict.

Your future mother should take care of her health in advance. Another thing is that pregnant women often have problems with the digestive system, when one-day fasting to discharge the gastrointestinal tract, according to the doctor, is unlikely to cause serious harm to the woman and her baby, but may well restore the normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Thus, pregnancy and lactation should be considered as a relative contraindication. Firstly, this is a temporary phenomenon, and secondly, a short-term famine in such a state is completely acceptable.

So, we come to the fact that there are a number of contraindications in which fasting is permissible, but you need to be very careful when choosing methods and fasting times. Such contraindications are called relative. These include:

• IRR hypotonic type, occurring in the background of lowering blood pressure (despite the fact that hypertension and the IRR hypertonic type are quite amenable to correction of hunger),
• cholelithiasis in active form, when bile has a tendency to form calculi (dangerously dry starvation),
• kidney stones and bladder (dangerously dry fasting, and with a wet doctor's control is required),
• exacerbation of gastric and duodenal ulcers (fasting is not performed in the acute stage due to the risk of increased acidity of the gastrointestinal tract and a high risk of perforation of the walls of the organs)
• varicose veins
• Iron-deficiency anemia,
• gout
• childhood

Some doctors in this list include type 2 diabetes, but due to the fact that the number of positive results in the treatment of hunger for this pathology is growing, it is likely that this item will soon leave the list of contraindications. Especially considering the fact that several years ago the list had more impressive dimensions.

So is it possible to starve children?

As for young patients, many doctors of traditional medicine agree that  medical fasting   cannot be used for  children. True, this does not prevent them from giving advice not to feed children forcibly during infectious diseases, referring to the fact that the child’s body itself understands what it needs.

Doctors of nontraditional directions are more loyal in this matter. They believe that even an infant can starve. Such babies often refuse to take their breasts during an illness, which means that they should not be forced. Daily starvation will not bring harm to your baby, but may help to cope with the disease faster. Forced nutrition, like starvation, in no way contributes to improved health.

Up to 13-14 years old, a child may starve for several days without irreversible consequences. But at the same time, naturopaths recommend sticking to the scheme: the number of days of fasting should correspond to the number of years in the birth certificate of the child. It is clear that this is not about maintaining a figure, but about refusing food for medicinal purposes, while at the same time you should not restrict a child to water.

Dry short-term starvation is allowed not earlier than 14 years. But in any case, treatment of children with hunger should take place under the supervision of a physician, especially if you have to go hungry for more than 1-2 days. Best of all, medical fasting will take place in clinics and sanatoriums, where the child, under the supervision of specialists, will stay around the clock, and there are all conditions for monitoring the functioning of the baby’s systems.

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How dangerous is fasting?

Contraindications include not only those pathologies in which doctors have no confidence in a successful outcome, but also those when it is possible to talk about the  harm of therapeutic fasting. I must say that this topic is still a smart reason for discussion, because most doctors, in spite of everything, consider the refusal of food to be a great evil.

What are these beliefs based on? In most cases, this is a conventional reinsurance. But there are those who make quite logical arguments not in favor of fasting:

• severe stress for the body, which is dangerous when its condition is weakened and severe acute pathologies occur

• temporary result in weight loss,
• increased appetite after fasting, which causes weight gain (sometimes it even exceeds the initial),
• primary consumption of muscle mass, which can lead to dystrophy,
• the risk of neuropsychiatric disruptions (especially with prolonged fasting, for good reason, almost all authors of methods of therapeutic fasting insist on a positive psychological attitude of the patient, special training, psychological assistance during fasting),
• Some doctors claim that the so-called slags are formed primarily during fasting (they reject unattractive foul-smelling discharge during fasting as a result of the breakdown of amino acids with the formation of sulfur and nitrogen), and the body is sufficiently cleansed in the process of life activity,
• among physicians there is an opinion that the formation of a large amount of ketone bodies (products of incomplete oxidation of fats) during fasting) and the displacement of the internal environment of the body towards acidification (acidosis) leads to intoxication of the body, resulting in vital systems and organs: cardiovascular vascular and respiratory systems, blood circulation, central nervous system,
• danger of death (some methods and advice, especially unjustified, may be frankly life-threatening).

According to doctors, such  risks associated with therapeutic starvation, much lower its health value, which they see in the rest of the digestive system, acceleration of recovery and the possibility of curing certain diseases.

And many issues related to therapeutic starvation, the views of traditional and alternative medicine doctors differ considerably. For example, the controversial issue is the  effect of therapeutic starvation on the brain.

In medical circles, it is generally accepted that glucose is the main food for our brain. Thanks to her, the central nervous system receives enough energy for normal functioning. If glucose does not enter the body, the brain will suffer from a lack of energy, which is fraught with neuro-psychological and neurological disorders.

Followers of alternative methods of healing the body, without rejecting the value of glucose, at the same time point to the fact that in the absence of its receipt in the brain, the efficiency of the central nervous system does not actually decrease. Patients usually feel some weakness only in the first days of fasting, and then for many there is even an increase in working capacity, unleashing of creative potential, and an improvement in sleep. Many patients claim that in the process of fasting they discovered talent that was unknown to them, found solutions to difficult issues, and began to successfully perform mental work that had previously been difficult.

It turns out that in the process of fasting the brain receives alternative energy that exceeds the effect of glucose. Such an alternative source of energy for the brain can be considered ketone bodies synthesized in the liver in large quantities in the absence of food.

We get some inconsistency. On the one hand, an increase in the level of ketone bodies (of the same acetone) leads to intoxication of the organism, which should adversely affect the state of the nervous system. But on the other hand, there is an increase in mental and physical performance as a result of the same process (ketone bodies in conditions of hunger are the only energetically valuable food for muscles and brain, and this is a lot of food). Apparently, we still do not know much about our body, so the theory is not always consistent with practice, and a theorem without evidence in scientific circles cannot be accepted as “truth” without a “fight”.

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Possible complications

When some disturbances, called a disease, occur in our body, we begin to look for ways to solve this problem, i.e. Treatment. Regardless of the methods of treatment of the disease (drug therapy, physiotherapy methods, surgical treatment, alternative methods), we always think about the possible complications and consequences of our choice (or the choice of a doctor).

Medical fasting cannot be considered a universal medicine (medicines treat symptoms, and fasting is looking for natural ways to treat the disease as a whole). These concepts imply a healing technique that helps the body to cope with the disease on its own or adjust the results of previous treatment. And this does not mean at all that it is not necessary to take into account those complications that may occur if you deviate from the requirements of the method, ignore contraindications, or simply do not listen to your body.

The presence in the list of contraindications of those diseases that have been repeatedly cured by hunger is not accidental. For example, in the case of malignant diseases, the statistics of miraculous healings are not much higher than the rate of unsuccessful outcomes. Some people, hoping for a miracle of starvation, lost precious time, missed the chance of surgical treatment at the early stage of cancer and thus deprived themselves of not only longevity, but also years or months allotted to them by illness.

It is difficult to say what causes failure. Sometimes there is a positive attitude, and faith in healing by hunger, and diligent fulfillment of the requirements of a mentor, but the disease continues to progress. Apparently, it is not worthwhile to hope so recklessly for the healing power of hunger, especially if the body is greatly weakened by the disease. The chance of a successful cure is usually higher if fasting fixes the result of previous surgical treatment at an early stage of the disease. If the disease is started, then it is true, one can only hope for a miracle.

As for the complications in the treatment of diseases that are not included in the list of contraindications, they are usually not harmful to health (provided that the patient does not depart from the technique). Most of the complications are easy to eliminate, and many can be prevented in advance.

In the ketoacidosis stage, patients often suffer from nausea (some even have vomiting). These phenomena are quite normal for such a state, but since they affect the psychological state of the starving person, they can be overcome by drinking alkaline mineral water or a weak soda solution in small sips. When vomiting soda solution, wash the stomach and clean the intestines (enema).

In most cases, walks in the fresh air and airing the room help fight nausea.

If, as a result of repeated vomiting or dehydration, the patient begins to contract fingers, and then tonic convulsions appear, it is advisable to drink non-carbonated mineral or salt water. In generalized convulsions, 1-2% saline solution is shown inside (half a cup or a little more): once or repeatedly, depending on the condition.

Sometimes when getting out of bed, patients feel a sudden weakness due to a sharp drop in osmotic pressure. In this case, it helps oxygen and rest in a horizontal position with a raised head. But it is best to avoid a sharp change in body position.

The development of collapse can also be observed in patients who have not stopped smoking. In this case, it is necessary to act actively: to conduct inhalation with oxygen, to give the patient heart drugs in a dosage that is half the standard dose. Further fasting becomes prohibited.

In patients with abnormalities of the hypertension or hypotonic type and obesity, headaches and heart pain, severe weakness, especially in the morning hours, can occur. The use of alkaline water, walking in the air, breathing exercises, cleansing enemas with soda solution, gastric lavage, etc. Helps to eliminate such symptoms and even prevent their appearance.

In the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases in the period after acidotic crisis and the transition to endogenous nutrition, there may be a worsening of the condition,  severe pain in the stomach during fasting, intestinal colic (usually with exacerbation of chronic appendicitis, therefore rest is necessary, cold is on the stomach and observation), which is similar recurrence of existing disease. All these symptoms should be reported to the doctor who will prescribe the appropriate treatment. In some people, these symptoms disappear on their own, after which a marked improvement in the condition (recovery) is noted, but in any case, it is better that the patient is under medical supervision during this period. Sometimes it is better to stop fasting, to return to it later. Usually, a second fasting course is easier and similar symptoms do not appear.

Fasting with urolithiasis may be accompanied by the discharge of coarse sand (renal colic) and blockage of the urinary ducts. In this case, it is necessary to consult a urologist and the introduction of antispasmodics, because the retention of urine in the body is fraught with not only edema, but also intoxication.

It is necessary to understand that medical fasting is not an easy procedure, therefore not everyone is able to reach the end. Many break already in the first 3 days, without waiting for a weakening of the appetite, others refuse to conceive, starving 5 or more days (usually due to psychological pressure from others, if the treatment is carried out outside the clinic). That is why  medical fasting is  recommended to be held  in sanatoriums, specialized clinics and centers where there is a positive atmosphere, contact with food, there is an opportunity to receive psychological help, to diversify your treatment (besides the methods of fasting in clinics offer various procedures that can be not only useful, but and pleasant). In the sanatorium conditions, patients also have direct access to mineral water, which is indicated for some malfunctions in the body when food is refused.

We talked about possible complications during the discharge period, i.e. Directly during fasting. But unpleasant symptoms can also be noted at the exit from starvation, i.e. In the recovery period. This can happen both after the extra fasting out of starvation (the transition to normal food should still be smooth), and at the end of a full discharge period.

Most often, patients are faced with severity in the gastrointestinal tract associated with improper selection of dishes, serving size, frequency of eating. All this is fixable. If discomfort appears in the stomach, it is worth washing the stomach and clearing the intestines with an enema or laxative. It is sometimes advisable to spend a couple of fasting days (starve), and then return to the restorative diet, limiting the amount of salt at least for the first time.

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Feedback and results

Today, there are many methods of therapeutic fasting (both patented and not scientifically recognized) that have different results, which we can only judge based on the feedback from other people and information provided by the authors of the methods. So, there is evidence that the Rudolph Breuss method helped 40-45 thousand patients to heal (information from a third party). Many practitioners naturopaths claim that their systems have tested positive in tens of thousands of cases (this also applies to old, proven over the years, and relatively new techniques).

Reviews on the Internet about medical fasting are usually divided into 3 camps: one fasting helped, which caused great enthusiasm, others did not help, so they do not recommend experiencing “this torture” on themselves, still others have not tried to starve, have not the slightest experience and write only to maintain the conversation. The latter category is not worth dwelling on, since for the most part these are fans of discourse on many different topics that they most often do not understand.

As for people who they said were successfully practicing or having completed one successful course of treatment with hunger, there are also options here. Some tried to treat themselves with hunger and had good results, others did not get what they expected, but they don’t want to admit it. But there are those that were treated only in words, and a positive review about the technique was written to make money on it (this practice on the Internet is very common, but people think before writing a lie or giving unverified information when it comes to health person).

The same can be said about the second category, although it is usually dominated by those who starved at home, did not fully complete the course of therapeutic fasting, ignored contraindications (or did not pass the medical examination at all), experienced questionable methods or simply did not adhere to the requirements presented by the author of the selected recovery system.

Around the medical fasting, known to mankind for a long time, to this day there are well-grounded disputes, so I personally do not dare to judge how it is useful for health. But I think that a person who consciously decided to try a specific method of healing on himself should approach this choice consciously and responsibly.

Can I rely only on reviews on the Internet? Wouldn't it be more logical to find real people who could heal with the help of a conscious refusal of food, try to meet with the authors of the methods, their followers, or at least get to a lecture to a scientist whose words can be trusted?

When it comes to human health, the decisive word remains with the patient, unless the patient is unconscious. Since, in an unconscious state, it is unlikely that anyone will think about fasting, the decision is always made consciously, which means that the person is responsible for the result of applying a particular technique.

In any case, one can begin medical fasting only after a complete examination of the body, which reduces the likelihood of unpleasant surprises during the procedure. You can starve, especially for a long period, only under the supervision of a practicing physician (whether it is a traditional medicine doctor, nutritionist or naturopath doctor who has sufficient experience and real positive results of his work). And even with this, getting a positive result after the starvation course does not guarantee full health throughout life. In chronic diseases and prophylactic purposes it is necessary to complete not one, but several courses of different time and effect.

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